Number of Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar reached 536,000 — UN

October 12, 2017

The number of Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State for Bangladesh has reached 536,000, with 14,000 having crossed the border in the last two days, a UN spokesman said on Thursday, as cited by Xinhua.

The spokesman, Farhan Haq, also said UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman will be in Myanmar from Friday to Tuesday for discussions with Myanmar officials.

“His discussions will also focus on building constructive cooperation between Myanmar and the United Nations to tackle the underlying issues affecting all communities in the areas concerned,” the spokesman said.

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UN humanitarian agencies reported that as of Wednesday “the number of refugees who fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since late August has reached 536,000 with 14,000 having crossed the border in the last two days,” he said.

“UNICEF says there already have been reports of water-borne disease in the camps, stressing the need to enhance sanitation coverage,” Haq said.